


Mockingbird

by Drake_Dragua_22



Category: RWBY
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24643252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drake_Dragua_22/pseuds/Drake_Dragua_22
Summary: A mistake made long ago that has to be corrected now.
Kudos: 7





	Mockingbird

**_1:32 am Kingdom of Mistral_ **

_‘What am I doing?’_ she thought to herself standing outside the building that would mark the point of no return in her life.

She stood outside, the cold winds of winter blowing softly which made her try to close the gap of her open jacket. Her breath started shaking as she slowly stepped towards the building. Twenty yards away from the building’s stairs she stopped. Her feet had been dragging the last few paces as if they were made of iron. Her mind pondering over what she was about to do. Many would consider her actions to be cruel, to be heartless, to be unjust, and to be apathetic. But she didn’t care what others would think, it wasn’t their decision.

“Gods, tell me. Tell me, that what I am doing is right.” She prayed. But she heard no answer. She had learned from an early age that not only the gods but life was unknowingly cruel. First it was her family, the only one she had ever known, massacred by Grimm. Though huntsmen had arrived and saved her, they were to late to save anyone else. Her father, mother, and older sister were all gone years ago. It has been so long that she has almost forgotten what they’d looked like. She shook her head derailing that train of thought, she didn’t need that. What she needed to do was to focus at the task at hand.

**‘SOLEMN ORPHANAGE’** the sign before her read.

This was it, her moment of truth. She needed to do this, she should’ve done this back at the hospital but she thought she would’ve able to raise a child on her own. The father of her child died on a mission before she gave birth, though they weren’t in love they got together because him getting her pregnant after a reckless night. She cursed his name ever since, but never her child. She couldn’t bring herself to, as every time she looked into its eyes warmth wrapped around her heart. But not now, now she needed to what must be done, to give her child a chance at a better life.

She was a full-fledged huntress at age twenty-two after all and that was a very dangerous line of work. That kind that would make sure she wouldn’t able to return home to her child one day. She couldn’t do that, she couldn’t pass on that feeling of emptiness and guilt, not to her child.

She moved towards the building taking her step, but stopped after the bundle she had been carrying very gently and carefully in her arms started to move. She glanced down at it and moved it, unraveling the beautiful face she fell in love with since the first time she saw him, her little _Mockingbird._

The small bush of blonde hair flowed gently with the wind as cobalt blue eyes stared back at her emerald ones.

A smile cracked across his face as he saw her; the flowing locks of blonde hair, shiny emerald eyes behind thick black horn-rimmed glasses. That was his mother.

She smiled at her little mockingbird, but that smile quickly faded because of what she was about to do. She stepped forward making her way to the building, she needed to do this, she _had_ to do this.

Sensing something wrong with his mother the child started to stir and move, unrest building up in him.

She stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked back down at her child, what she saw filled her heart with sadness, guilt, and grief. Tears building up in his eyes and lips starting to whimper almost letting out a cry. But she could let that happen, he was almost a year old but that look of sadness didn’t suit him, not at all. So, she did the only thing a mother could do in her situation; she rocked her child with the gentleness that only a mother could have, and sang him lullaby that her mother would sing to her all those years ago. It was all she had to remember her by.

Slowly cradling his head over her heart, she rocked him and sung;

_‘Hush little baby don’t you cry’_

_‘everything will be alright’_

_‘Stiffen that upper lip little baby’_

_‘I told you mommy’s here to hold you through the night’_

_‘Daddy’s not here right now and I don’t know why’_

_‘We fear how we feel inside’_

_‘It may seem a little silly, pretty baby. But I promise everything will be alright.’_

She knew things weren’t going to be alright and she knew why his father wasn’t here; he’s probably lying out there in remnant in an unmarked grave.

She took a sigh of relief as her child had closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep for which she was thankful, she knew she couldn’t do this last part if those cobalt blue eyes stared back at her.

She made her way to the top of the staircase staring down the door in front of her, with one hand she reached into her jacket and pulled out two neatly folded piece of papers, one a note and the other a letter to her little mockingbird. One which she had spent hours trying to write but now it was the moment of truth for her, she gave both of them one final read through for the last time. The note she read;

_I know as a mother I have failed him and don’t have any right to ask, but please, PLEASE make sure he finds a loving home that is all that I can ask._

Lastly, she opened the letter, swallowing the lump in her throat she read:

_My dear little Mockingbird,_

_I’m sorry I never gave you a name, I felt as if it wasn’t my right anymore. You will find a new family, a new home, and a new name. One which hopefully comes from love and hope._

_As for this next part is much harder. I will apologize for this, till the ends of time for what I did, but I will never ask for forgiveness because I know I don’t deserve it._

_As a mother I failed you, I failed you since the moment you were born. I wasn’t ready to be a mother but I thought I would be able to take care of you. But I was wrong. I am a huntress that’s what my life has been leading to, but as a huntress there is always going to be danger around me, my life, and you. That one day I won’t make it home and see those beautiful blue eyes of yours. I can’t do that to you, it won’t be fair to you. But then again neither is this. Though at least you will have a chance for the simple life, a life where you will have both your parents to look after you and take care of you._

_I’m sorry little mockingbird that I’ve done this to you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be a better mother to you or the mother that you needed._

_-Goodwitch_

Her eyes were watery after reading the letter, she believed she was doing the right thing but it didn’t change the fact that it was still wrong.

She placed her child, her little bundle of joy wrapped in warm layers down in front of the door. She slid off her jacket and placed it over him, just to make sure he would be warm. As she reached for the doorbell she could hear her little mockingbird shuffling. She pulled back the jacket a little just enough to see his tear-filled eyes, as she locked eyes with him he cried. She rang the doorbell and ran from there. Her little mockingbird’s cries were ripping through her heart, she wanted to look back but she knew that if she did, she couldn’t stop herself from cradling him again. But she couldn’t, she needed to run from there, and from his life because she knew he deserved better. He deserved a father how would be there for him and he deserved a mother who would be there for him through thick and thin; not her.

She ran and kept running until the cries of her child were but muffled noises, she stopped only at her little dingy apartment and grabbed her things stuffing them into bags and left. She left the apartment, she left the city, she left the kingdom, but most of all she left her little mockingbird.

**18 years later**

The first year had been concluded with at Beacon Academy all the first years were back at dorms enjoying the freedom and accomplishments.

Back in class one Glynda Goodwitch was finishing some paperwork, some evaluations regarding her students. Though she was hard on them it was only to push them to be better, and she was happy to see them improve, not that she would tell them though. One in particular was Mr. Jaune Arc. Glynda knew about him and his story, or more particular his forged transcripts. It was back at the initiation when the validity of his transcripts were proved false. She addressed the matter to Headmaster Ozpin and was surprised when he told her he knew and still allowed him to be included. She wanted to retort but was cut when Ozpin said, “If he completes initiation he has earned his place in Beacon.”

Its been a year since initiation and she will admit Jaune Arc has certainly improved and even unlocked his semblance, though he isn’t on the level of his partner Pyrrha Nikos or members of the sister team RWBY. He made up for it with his on-the-spot shot calling and teamwork which put his team on equal levels with team RWBY. She would continue going through the paper work but was disturbed by a knock on the door.

“Come in.” she ordered, she didn’t like being disturbed while she was working.

“Umm, Professor Goodwitch?” a voice asked, a voice she was very familiar with.

“Mister Arc.” She retorted without even looking up, as she didn’t need to.

“I-I can see that your busy professor, I can come back later.” Jaune asked nervously. How could he not be, Professor Goodwitch was the most terrifying person here at Beacon.

“Unfortunately my train of thought has been halted.” she let out a short huff, “But you’re here now. So, what can I help you with mister Arc?”

“U-Ummmm there was something I needed to talk you about professor, personally.” Jaune let out trying to steel his nerves.

“Has Miss Valkyrie finally broken Mister Winchester’s legs, she has been going on about it for at least a year.”

“No! No professor, Nora hasn’t done anything like that. Thankfully. And I don’t think you or the rest of the professors need to worry about that.” Jaune let out quickly, thankfully things with Cardigan had calmed down after Forever Fall and the ursa.

“Then what is the matter Mister Arc?” Goodwitch said in a slightly annoyed tone.

Jaune could feel the tone of her words cut right through him, Professor Goodwitch had that effect on people. But in this particular case something else was making him nervous. He fished out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and held it in his hand as he stepped forward towards the desk professor Goodwitch was at.

“Its regarding this Professor.” He held out the paper and she took it from him.

Glynda examined the paper, the most noticeable feature was that the paper was aged. She slowly opened the paper and gave a glaring look at Jaune. With the paper fully opened she noticed it was a letter of sorts, _‘probably from his parents’_ Glynda thought. She read the first sentence out loud.

“My dear little Mockingbird-”

The letter fell from her hands onto the table, she was in shock. Because of this letter, memories which she had long buried in the back of her mind flooded through now.

She immediately shot up from her chair which was sent flying back by her semblance.

“Where did you get this!?” she shot at him emotions erupting within her.

“My parents gave it to me on me sixteenth birthday!” Jaune rushed the words out of his mouth, never in his time here at Beacon had he seen Professor Goodwitch as furious as she was now, he was terrified for his life to say the least.

“How did _they_ get it?!” she shot at him again with the same fury

“The orphanage found it with me on their doorstep.” Jaune replied as hurriedly as he could taking steps back.

“WHERE?!?!?!” Glynda let out with a raging scream. Jaune didn’t notice this but tears where beginning to from in Glynda’s eyes. She knew exactly who this was, but she couldn’t accept the fact that _he_ was here in front of her.

“SOLEMN ORPHANAGE!” Jaune screamed out in panic. His arms covering his head and face. He didn’t need to worry about the rest of his body as he was wearing armor. He braced himself for a hard hit, but as the moments passed nothing happened.

As he uncovered his face the sight in front of him shocked him.

In front of him Glynda Goodwitch, The Dominatrix of Beacon Academy was shaking before his very eyes, and most of all tears were running down her face.

“Profess-“ Before he could finish a word, a blur of white and black rushed straight at him.

Not even a moment had passed for Jaune to process what was going on, all that he knew was that Professor Goodwitch had her arms around him, embracing him in a very tight hug. One that could match Nora’s bone crushing ones.

Glynda’s hand ran through Jaune’s hair as she let go of the embrace but not before her other hand cupped Jaune’s face. She looked straight into Jaune’s blue eyes conforming what she already knew.

“My little Mockingbird.” She said softly as she brushed her thumb across Jaune’s face, tears still running down her face.

Jaune placed his over Glynda’s on his face, “Yeah.” He replied with an equal softness

Glynda hugged him again making sure that this wasn’t an elaborate illusion. That in fact that she was holding her little mockingbird the same one she had to abandon in front of the orphanage all those years ago.

Jaune had eventually given in and wrapped his arms around his birth-mother, he had so many questions, so many emotions, and so many things he had to say to her. But in that moment, nothing mattered except that he was holding his ‘mom’, and finally let out the tears that’d been building, not tears of sadness, but tears of _joy_. Joy that he had finally found her and joy that he had finally worked up the courage to tell her.

After what seemed like hours the both of them broke their embrace, there was no longer sadness on Glynda’s face instead it was replaced by somber look joy as a smile slowly spread across her face. The same could be said for Jaune as well.

They walked back to Glynda’s desk, pulled up some chairs to one side and the two of them sat down right next to each other. The both had agreed to share what both them had gone through, Glynda chose to go first.

She explained everything she could him; the grimm massacre of which she was the lone survivor, her struggles growing up without a family, her time at Beacon and her drive to be a huntress so that no one else would suffer what she did, how she had graduated and that lead to a party with messy results, how she found out she was pregnant and how the father at least had the decency to stick around (for the while that it lasted) and eventually it lead to why she left Jaune at the orphanage.

“What did you do after?” Jaune asked.

“I ran. I ran because I knew you deserved better and that you didn’t need a failure like me around you.” She answered shame consuming her.

“You’re wrong.” Jaune said. Locking eyes with Glynda.

“How?”

“I still need you. Yes, you made mistakes, I have too. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need you.”

Glynda unsure of what to say just chose to listen she owed him that.

“Yes, I grew up in a loving home with loving and caring parents and seven sisters. But that doesn’t mean I don’t need you. You’re still my mother. I don’t know what that means to you, but it means a lot to me and I…“ Jaune trailed off unsure if it was the right thing to say, but it didn’t matter he _needed_ to say it to her, for maybe both their sakes. “And I… want you in my life.”

Glynda didn’t know how to digest what he had said, he wanted _her_ in his _life_? After everything? After what she did, he wanted her in his life, why?

“Why?” she asked perplexed.

“You’re my mother and… I’d like to get to know my mother better.” He answered

Glynda didn’t know what to say, she expected him to yell at her, berate her, spew vile insults for abandoning him at her, which she knew that she deserved. But that didn’t happen, instead he wanted to talk to her, get to know her. She was dumbfounded unable to utter a word.

Jaune looked at his birth-mother no words uttering from her, he sort-of expected this. He had dumped so much information, so many emotions onto her; so he figured she needed time to process everything and he would give her just that.

“This is probably a lot to take in and I’m guessing that you’re going to need time. So I’ll do just” he got up from his chair and made his way to the door.

“Jaune.” Glynda called out to him by his name for the first time since learning about their bond.

Jaune stopped and turned around facing his mother.

“I-I would like that. To spend time with you and talk. About everything.” She said steeling her nerves. This was a chance she never expected to get and she wasn’t going to waste it.

“I would like that too.” Jaune replied with a soft smile.

The two made their way out of the classroom side by side, they didn’t have a destination but what they did have was a chance to catch up on lost time, a chance that neither of them was going to waste.

**Author's Note:**

> Song lyrics: Mockingbird by Eminem


End file.
